Chandra Levy: Fall Guy In D.C. Murder Case Blows Lid Off Cover-Up

The man found guilty of murdering intern Chandra Levy has claimed he was set up by prosecutors looking for a quick conviction, The National ENQUIRER has learned in a bombshell exclusive!

Speaking out for the first time since his controversial conviction was overturned, Ingmar Guandique publicly declared his innocence — and hinted at a dastardly plot to cover up the truth about Chandra’s real killer! What’s more, a private eye hired by Chandra's family has told The ENQUIRER he knows the identity of the man who ended her life!

“What I want to say to all of Chandra Levy’s family is that I’m innocent,” Guandique — who was deported back to his native El Salvador in May — acknowledged in an ENQUIRER-produced documentary for Investigation Discovery, airing on its ID Go platform.

Bubbly brunette Chandra vanished in May 2001. Her rotting remains were found in Washington, D.C.’s heavily wooded Rock Creek Park a year later. Undocumented immigrant Guandique was convicted of the 24-year-old’s murder in 2010 — solely on circumstantial evidence and the questionable testimony of a jailhouse snitch.

He was sentenced to 60 years behind bars. His conviction was overturned on appeal in 2016 when a Washington, D.C., court determined the rat was lying. Guandique told The ENQUIRER he became an easy scapegoat for Chandra’s murder because at the time he was a drug-addicted illegal already in jail for mugging two women in Rock Creek Park months before Chandra went missing.

Chandra was a paid intern with the Federal Bureau of Prisons when she launched a passionate affair with Gary Condit, a married Democrat serving his fifth term in Congress. He represented the district that included Modesto, Calif., where Chandra’s family lived.

She vanished without a trace while apparently jogging in Rock Creek Park, and her illicit romance with Condit was uncovered during the police investigation into her disappearance. But Condit tried to cover up their inappropriate relationship — plunging himself into a white-hot national spotlight. However, police do not suspect Condit was involved in the crime.

The discovery of Chandra’s skeletal remains led to Guandique’s conviction — despite the absence of any witness or DNA evidence. Guandique’s shocking claims of a cover-up dovetail with a charge made by crusading lawyer Jim Robinson — who has said Chandra was the victim of a kinky sex ring made up of powerful Washington, D.C., politicians.

“I believe these sick, ruthless men gave ‘gifts’ to those who supplied them with young women for sex,” said Robinson. When Chandra threatened to expose the predators, Robinson said, the group gave the order to have her “disappear.” Two women described to The ENQUIRER how a domineering politician loved to treat women like “sex slaves,” and frequently demanded they engage in sex parties with him and his D.C. cronies.

In his 2016 memoir, “Actual Malice,” Condit claimed he “barely knew” Chandra, and said she came to his Washington condo “maybe twice.” Despite that, Chandra’s mother told The ENQUIRER she’s convinced Condit is still lying about his relationship with her daughter. “I definitely believe he had some sort of [romantic] relationship with my daughter," Susan Levy told The ENQUIRER. "Why else would she come over to his house?”

The ENQUIRER has also learned Joe McCann, a renowned private eye hired by Shandra's parents (left), eventually cracked the case by identifying Chandra’s cold-blooded killer — whom he’s refused to publicly identify until the murderous beast is behind bars. “I’m satisfied that I know what happened,” the former Washington, D.C., cop told The ENQUIRER. To this day, Guandique maintains he never had any contact with Chandra!

“The first time that I heard of Chandra was when I was in the Washington, D.C., jail,” Guandique told The ENQUIRER. “I had nothing to do with Chandra Levy!”